The Trump administration is calling for cuts in TSA spending
as well as an increase in the 9/11 Passenger Security Fee that is assessed on
airline tickets.
The proposals were put forward in the budget blueprint the
administration released Thursday.
The TSA cuts, which the blueprint says would apply to "unauthorized
and underperforming programs administered by TSA," would amount to $80
million.
The cuts target a TSA grant program that goes toward local
and state law enforcement agencies; a behavioral detection program, under which
TSA officers are trained to weed out terrorists in an airport setting; and a
program that sends TSA agents to transportation hubs outside of airports, such
as ports and train stations.
The grant program, the Trump administration said, is one
that is "intended to incentivize local law enforcement patrols that should
already be a priority for state and local partners."
The Trump administration hasn't publicly specified the
amount by which it would raise the 9/11 Passenger Security Fee, which is
currently $5.60 per one-way flight segment. But it says that the fees should be
raised high enough to cover 75% of passenger security operations.
The proposed increase, the blueprints says, is intended "to
ensure that the cost of government services is not subsidized by taxpayers who
do not directly benefit from those programs."
In February, the Associated Press reported that the proposal
would raise the fee to $6.60 per one-way flight.
Airlines are likely to oppose an increase. Since 2013,
Congress has diverted about one-third of the fee to costs unrelated to security.
In 2015, passengers paid $3.5 billion in 9/11 security fees, of which $1.19
billion was diverted, said trade group Airport Councils International--North
America.